Re:
This thread is awesome! I hope there are still some FSR enthusiasts interested in it. I spent several hours the last couple days skimming through all 107 pages and am stoked that other people like these bikes as much as I am coming to.
I got a good deal on this frame about a week ago:
I have already built it up and ridden about 25 miles of single track on it:
It is definitely still a work in progress, since taking the photo above a couple days ago I have already changed up the cockpit some, with a slightly longer stem and narrower bars. I also found a good deal on an older 6.5"x1.5" Fox Float shock which came in the mail today. Now I need to figure out a way to mount it. I may need to order some bushings from BETD, which will probably be somewhat costly considering they are expensive to begin with and will need to be shipped to the U.S.. I quickly discovered that there are issues with the front derailleur set up, so I think I am just going to run mine as a 1x9 (currently using the F.D. as a chain guide).
So far all the pivots on my bike seem to be in good shape, I haven't taken them apart but they don't feel sloppy at all and don't make any noise. I've just tried to drip some lube in them from the outside. When I removed the rear shock all the pivots seemed to move smoothly and freely. Who knows, maybe they have been serviced at some point. The old shock is actually working well too, so at least I can ride the bike until I get the air shock sorted out.
Unlike many of the builds I've seen on here that have been more focused toward downhill riding, I am planning to keep this bike set up so that it climbs and descends equally well. I'll probably keep the stock rear linkage and either keep my fork at 100mm or 110mm. The fork is currently set at 100mm, but I think the 6.5 shock might steepen the head-tube slightly because the stock one is 6.25. Because of that I may remove one spacer in the fork to counteract the angle change due to the shock.
